Document-file.



No: 7|2,596. Patentedmv. 4, |902.

G. H. RICHTER.

DOCUMENT FILE.

(Application ld May 19, 1897.)

ma. M'huel.)

|||I|Hl|lll|llllllllllllllIIIIllllllllllllllllllllll TH: nofws PETERS cj. Hora-Elmo., WASHINGTON. u. c.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT FEICE.

GEORGE H. RICHTER,4 OE BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS.

DOCUMENT? El SPECIFICATION forming' para of,Letteren-ratemlve."712,596, det-ea November 4, 1902.

Application "site rits/19; '1857.

To all whom itin/@y concern.-

Be it knownthatl, GEORGE H. RICHTER,`

of Boston, county of Suffolk,.`St`ate vof M'as-` sachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Docnment-Files,"`of which thefollowing de"- scription, in connection with the accompany4 ing drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production 'of an improved document-filewhich brace and a stop, the lowerend of said `levier resting on a suitable track Xedwith relation to the bottom' plate ofthelfile and 'forminga' brace to hold the follower up against the documents or papers when closed. Preferably this foot embraces and slides on the edges of the track referred to, while the lower end of the lever rides on said track. The track is so constructed that the follower, with its attached foot, maybe withdrawn from the front of the file until the foot reaches theend of said track, where the track is preferably cut away somewhatlornotched, and then by tipping the top of the follower toward the front of the le the foot.' of the followerfmaybe readily detached-from the trackand the fol` lower be removed from the file. The foot and the lever 'are `so constructed.andcom-k bined that while thelugs of the foot engage the under edges of the track the lower free end of the lever, separately movable with rey lation to said footl and itslugs, rests onfthe top of the track By making the lever mov` able independently, of the foot it is possible by merely bearing a little on said lever totip the follower away'from the foot Without slid ing the foot on the track, and when said lever isreleased its free end will drop onto the track by gravity and will lock and brace the follower in position, and so, also, this separation of the free `end of the lever from `the foot enables the said lever to act automatically when the rear end of the le is raised,

Serial No'. 631231. (No model.)V

` the follower and lever descending by gravity,

causing the"le"ve1"`to"l lock the follower in position against the papers in the file. The upper end of the `lever by its contact with the stand near itsfpivotal point restricts the eX- tent of movement of the lower end of said lever independently of the foot, and consequently limits the extent of backward-tippingmovement of the follower. The lugs of the foot are shown `as carried forward so as to occupy a position well under the end of the follower` toward the front of the file, as thereby the strength of the grip of the foot and the lever on the track may be greatlyincreased, andthe harder the free lower end of the lever is borne toward the track and the followerthe greaterthe compression of the follower `on` th'e contents of the file, and owing to the described location of the lugs the follower is held firmly and securely, so that it cannot tip backwardly. The lever hinged at its upper end to the follower is provided with a finger-loop, and the construction of the lever and the metal in the walls of the loop are of such character and thickness that in case the lower end of the lever wears by contactwith the track the loop `may be somewhat compressed diametrically, thereby elongating the lever sufficiently to compensate for the wearreferred to.

Figure `l, in side elevation, represents a document-file embodying my invention; Fig.

2, a longitudinal section of the same, theV dotted lines showing the gravitating lever or locking-bracelfted from the track. Fig. 3 .isa section of Fig. 2 in the line fr. Ishows a portion ofthe bottom plate of. the

Fig. 4

file. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the'fo'ot with its lugs, and Figs. b' and 7 are modiflcations to be described.

The front A of the file, provided with a handle A', has about its inner side a flange a.

Iwith the shelf on which the file sets, and the extreme side edges of the plate are upturned,

IOO

as at b3, to constitute side edges for the bottom plate of the file. The outer end'of the bottom plate is provided with two sets of ears, as h4 b5, the ears b4 being at the ends of the extreme bottom and those b5 being at the ends of. the side pieces, said ears being curled about a horizontal portion c of a Wire C, while the ears b5 are curled about and made to embrace an upright portion C' of said wire, the extreme ends of said wire being attached by rivets as to the flange a. The raised projection h has suitably attached to it a track d, the side edges of said track being extended over the grooves b in the bottom plate.

The follower E has suitably attached to it a stand e, which receives a pivot e, which serves to pivotally connect the lever e2 to said stand, the lower end of said lever beingshaped to presenta substantially narrow rest c3 to bear upon the surface or upper side of the track d, said lever having at its upper end, at or near its pivot-al point, a stop e4, the lower end of the finger being provided with a finger-loop e5, the thickness of the metal in the finger-loop being such that by a blow upon the linger-loop it may be somewhat compressed diametrically, thus elongating the effective length of the said leversufflcient to compensate for any wear between the end e? of the lever and the track. Projecting from the lower end of the follower at a point below the pivotal point of the lever e2 is a footf, (shown enlarged and detached in Fig. 5,) said foot having lugs f', the shape of the foot being such that the lugs are carried well forward under the lower end of the follower, the said follower when the foot is tipped well forward being introduced into the grooves l) through the notches d2 at the outer end of the track, the lugs extending under the edges of the track, and after the lugs are under the edges of the track the follower is turned up and carried forward until the lower end of the lever e2 rests on the top of the track.

The operator may engage the lower end of the lever e2 and drawing upon it may pull the follower to the-end of the track, and the follower will remain there in a position in- -clined away from the front; but to detach the follower it will be tipped well over toward the front of the file, when the lugs will be in such a condition that they may be withdrawn through the notches, before referred to, thus removing the follower.

After documents have been placed in the file the follower maybe placed by hand snugly up against the documents, and the free end of the lever following on the track v/ill lock and retain the follower in the position in which it may be left, the gravity of the lever causing it to act automatically, and the harder the lower end of the lever ispressedtoward the foot while its lugs extend underneath the follower and embrace the lower edges of the track the greater will be the compression of the follower onto the documents and the more firmly will the follower be locked against any liability to wabble or vibrate. Preferably the stand and the foot will be cast together in one integral piece.

In the modification Fig. 6 the bottom plate B is shown as provided with a central groove, and the foot f2 is inserted in said groove, with the lugs f3 extended well forward under the lower end of the follower and under the edges of the track, the track in this modication being shown as a part of the bottom plate-viz., that part overhanging the groove-the lower end e3 of the lever in such modification being broad enough to span the space leading into the said groove of the bottom plate.

I prefer to use the foot represented in Figs..

3 and 5, it embracing the track; but the advantages herein referred to, due to Separating the lever from the foot, so that each may be moved independently of the other, may be gained by a foot such as represented in the modification Figs. 6 and 7. So this invention is not limited to the particular shape of the foot so long as it has ears which engage and ride on or in contact with a track, leaving the lever bearing on the top of the track or the top of the bottom plate free to be movedindependently of the foot to lock the follower or cornpress it firmly against the documents in the le.

In this tile documents may be inserted while the follower is tipped back to the right, view- -ing Fig. 2, and then by engaging the handle A and elevating the right-hand end of the file the follower will fall by gravity and the lever c2 will follow it, and acting by gravity it will effectually lock the follower in position to retain the documents in place.

Having described my invention, what I IOO claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a metallic document-file, a metallic bottom plate centrally bent longitudinally to form a plurality of grooves with a central raised portion therebetween, a longitudinal strip or track secured to the said central raised portion and extended laterally over the grooves at each side thereof, a carrier or follower having a stand fixed thereto and provided with a foot, alever pivoted to said stand and provided at its lower end with a narrow rest, as es, to bear upon the upper surface of the longitudinal strip or track.

2. In a metallic document-file, a metallic bottom plate centrally bent longitudinally to form a plurality of grooves with a central raised portion therebetween,said metallic bottom plate being also bent to form longitudinal side rests on which the iile sets and having the side portions of said bottom plate upturned to constitute the side edges for the file, the outer ends of the bottom plate and said side edges being also bent to form ears, a wire secured at one end to the front of the flle and emname to this specification in the presence of braced by the ears of the bottom and 'side` two subscribing witnesses.

edges, a follower, and a. pivoced lever having a rest to bear upon the raised central portion GEORGE H' RICHTER 5 of the bottom plate to hold the follower in po- Witnesses:

siton. JOHN C. EDWARDS, In testimony whereof I have signed my I GEO. H. MAXWELL. 

